Everyday Canvas

NaNo and Hugs

For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" 

Prompt: Now that we have only a couple of days to the "October Novel Prep Challenge"   [13+] by Brandiwyn🎶 , are you going to write a novel this year? With or without doing the NaNo, what is your best approach to write a novel: vignettes, outlines, character developing or what? If you are a NaNo rebel, what is in your book-writing future, then? If you are not ready to write a novel yet, what do you think of the NaNo program?

--

My favorite approach to any writing is pantsing. But is it the best approach? I don’t think so. As enjoyable as pantsing is, a more organized thinking especially with the longer works brings out the best result, and that is why I so appreciate the Prep.

Not that prepping always works for everyone or every book, but it makes the rush-rush writing in one month much easier. To tell the truth, when they say NaNo month, it is never the full month. You’d better have your novel completed within three or four days after the 20th. Because there’s Thanksgiving and other stuff that can get in the way. NaNo would do us a bigger favor if they accepted the entries within the first week of December, but that is not in our hands, is it!

Even so, although each year I say I won’t do this, I end up doing the NaNo bit anyway. Because the one year in between that I didn’t do, I wasn’t happy with myself. I don’t have OCD but I might have developed one concerning NaNo. Again, this year, I said I wouldn’t put me through this again, but as soon as I saw Michele’s post, I was there.

Now, about last year’s NaNo, I got 54k plus words, but the book is not finished. I didn’t reach any viable ending. Thus, it is not even a first draft like the others were. And here I am again to possibly write a totally different story.

As to prepping, it depends what kind of an idea I get for each book. Sometimes an interesting character or an outline pushes my thinking around. Last year, I wanted to write about a voyage of sorts like the Odyssey, This year, I am thinking of a theme but I don’t know how I’ll work it in a story with characters and a halfway decent storyline. It is always a challenge, but then challenges usually keep us alive.

For: "Space Blog" 

Prompt: From princess ’s "Hugs" 
"The many meanings of giving a hug"
Why do we all like hugs?
--

We like hugs because we are pack animals and feeling hugged relieves stress as our brains can produce soothing chemicals (like oxytocin) that help us feel safe and less agitated for a while. This, in the long run, helps boost our immune systems, regulate our heart rates, and lower our blood pressure.

But now, the tide has turned. We have the epidemic and no hugs.

Suddenly, hugs have become risks. The more people we hug, the higher is the risk of getting the virus. What happens is that when we meet someone to hug, we take a step, then stop, and so does the other person. So instead we wave from afar or we message one another with “hug” words or send hugging emoticons. It may just be idea that counts, but then, it may not be as some bandaids can fall off.

Thus, hugs may be the most-missed thing at this time. Once the epidemic goes away, the consolation prize can be that we’ll be hugging one another all over the place and feeling good again. Something real and meaningful to look forward to, I'd say.